pût

Pût is the third-person singular form of the French verb pouvoir in the imperfect subjunctive (subjonctif imparfait). It is used in literary, archaic, or very formal French to express past-attempts or possibilities in a hypothetical or subordinate clause introduced by que, such as in qu’il pût venir (that he could come). The form is part of a historical set of imperfect-subjunctive endings for pouvoir, which include pusse (je pusse, tu pusses), pût (il pût), pussions (nous pussions), pussiez (vous pussiez), and pussent (ils pussent).

Etymology traces pût to the verb pouvoir, itself from Latin posse, through Old French. The imperfect subjunctive forms reflect an older mood that was once common in written French but has largely receded from everyday use. The circumflex on the u (û) is a relic of historical spelling and does not change the pronunciation in standard modern usage.

Usage and style notes indicate that pût is primarily encountered in classical literature, poetry, religious texts, or quotations from earlier authors. In contemporary French, the imperfect subjunctive is rarely used; speakers typically employ the present subjunctive (puisse) for present-tense meanings or periphrastic constructions (for example, il aurait pu) to express past possibility or hypothetical action. When encountered, pût conveys a tone of antiquity or solemn formality and signals that the sentence belongs to a historical or literary register.